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So you, may have noticed that I love coconut. So it probably won’t shock you that I love coconut soup too. It’s March in the PNW, which means cold and damp, and sometimes windy, and today walking home in the sideways rain, nothing in the world sounded better to me than a nice bowl of spicy, coconutty deliciousness.

Hence, I present to you coconut curry soup. And I won’t lie, it’s good. Real good.

And the best thing about this soup you ask? Well, it’s fast. And the second best thing? It does wonders for a sore throat. Just sayin’. It tastes a lot better than any medication I’ve tried.

To make it, you need:

1 Tbsp of coconut oil

2 cans of light coconut milk

3 cups of water or veggie broth

1 cup white mushrooms, sliced

1 carrot, diced finely

1 onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 Tbsp tamari (or fish sauce if not going gf or vegan)

3 Tbsp red curry paste (I like mine pretty spicy, so start yours with less if you don’t think the spice is so nice)

1 Tbsp lemon grass

1/8 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

several leaves of basil (save until serving)

2 inces of fresh ginger, diced finely

4 cloves of garlic, diced

salt and pepper (or better yet, grains of paradise) to taste

In a pot, combine garlic, onion, ginger, and coconut oil. Sauteè over low heat until softened. Add carrot and mushrooms, and continue to sautee until carrots softened and mushrooms browned. Add red curry and lemongrass and cook for 1 more minute

Add coconut milk, water, red pepper, and cilantro. Bring to boil for 30 seconds, and reduce heat to low. It can definitely be served here, but it’s even tastier if you let it cook for an extra 10 minutes or so.

Pour into bowls, garnish with fresh basil, and drink down the spicy, coconutty, smooth-as-silk goodness! Also, don’t be afraid to add tofu, chicken, or whatever protein of choice is. Rice noodles would also be fantastic!

I’ve had a little tub of saffron sitting on my spice shelf for far too long. As all the other spices disappear and get replaced, the saffron has the been the proverbial cheese from “The Farmer in the Dell.” It stands alone. 😦 So today I decided that saffron was done standing alone, and came up with this tasty soup. It’s light, but filling, and doesn’t take much fanciness aside from the saffron and some caraway seeds, which I suppose aren’t fancy, but I never used to keep them in my kitchen until recently, so they’re kind of fancy.

Anyway, this soup is very easy, relatively quick, and waaaay delicious with the light flavors of saffron, mint, caraway, and cilantro and a nice tang from some fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Really it’s about spices here, so make sure not to skimp, and add everything if you’ve got it.

Here’s what you need:

2 Tbsp cilantro (I used dried, but feel free to use fresh if you’ve got it)

1.5 Tbsp caraway seed

2 Tbsp chopped mint

2 Tsp saffron threads

pinch of chili powder

pinch of paprika

1/2 tsp grains of paradise (optional, but so tasty and a really versatile spice)

6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas (if using dried beans, soak in water overnight, then cook until softened before adding)

6 cups of water

1 large yellow onion

4 regular carrots, chopped

7 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 regular or 2 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cubed

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

spinach, washed and saved until just before serving

Mint for garnish

First, add olive oil, onions and garlic to a pot along with caraway seeds and cilantro, saute-ing until golden brown and slightly softened. Then add carrots, sweet potato, and mint, cooking over medium-high heat until carrots start to soften.

Add water, beans, and all remaining spices to pot along with lemon juice. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Right before serving add spinach and serve when spinach is wilted. Serve, eat, and be happy!

Some days, I spend literally half the day thinking about the salad I’m going to eat for dinner. Well, not half the day, but periodically throughout the day. This particular salad had been in my head for a few days, and I’ve been waiting for a few spare moments to actually make it happen. Well, today was that day, and I’m so glad it was. Beets, green beans, black rice, pear, white beans, kale, romaine, and sweet, sweet meyer lemons all mixed up with a little goat cheese and walnuts to round it out and dressed with meyer lemon vinagrette….it’s a party in a bowl. And you just can’t beet (pardon the pun) eating food that looks like a rainbow. It’s also surprisingly filling and rich, so it works best as a main dish.

So, you also want to have a rainbow party in a bowl? Fortunately this is VERY easy.

What you need:

1 large beet, cubed

1.5 cups of cooked white beans or 1 can (garbonzo, navy, canellini, great northern, or butter beans would all work)

2 cups of green beans, chopped into 1 inch segments

1 grapefruit, sliced or chopped

1/2 bosc pear, chopped

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

3 Tbsp goat cheese (omit if doing this vegan-style)

1 cup black rice, cooked

2 cups baby kale

zest and juice of 1 meyer lemon

2-3 cups washed and cut romaine

For the dressing:

juice of 1 meyer lemon

1 Tbsp grapeseed oil

1 tbsp whole grain mustard

1/8 cup chopped red onion

4 Tbsp champagne vinegar

2 Tbsp water

First, roast them beets! Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, toss the beet in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and the juice of 1 meyer lemon. Spread the beets on a baking sheet and roast for about 40 minutes, until firm, but cooked through.

While the beets roast, prepare the black rice. Black rice is not only really, really tasty with a slightly nutty flavor and gorgeous dark purple color, but is higher in antioxidants than other rices. Combine 1 cup rice with 1 and 3/4 cup water in a saucepan, bring to boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for about 30 minutes until done.

Saute the green beans over medium-high heat until they reach a vibrant green color (this is only about 3-4 minutes), but are still nice and crunchy. Remove from heat.

Combine all the vegetables and fruits in a large bowl, toss with the zest and juice of a meyer lemon. Add goat cheese, walnuts, beans, and about 3/4 cup of the black rice .

To make the dressing, combine all ingredients, and blend in a food processor, blender, or magic bullet (that little machine is the best). Dress the salad, toss, salt and pepper to taste, and serve! *Note* The only thing I’d change here, is that I wouldn’t have forgotten to add 1/2 of an avocado! Don’t make my mistake!!!!!

Last night, when thinking about dinner, I found myself looking at a butternut squash and a bunch of dried chickpeas. Common conundrum, I know. I was also very in the mood for something akin to falafel, but a little healthier. So, these wee fritters came to be. Cumin, garlic, shallots, chickpeas, and the smooth creaminess of roasted butternut all baked or pan-fried…well, it’s a perfect easy midweek dinner with some greens and sauce. They’re also completely veganizable simply by skipping the tzatziki.

And so, what you need:

1 butternut squash, roasted

1 cup chickpeas, soaked and cooked

1 shallot, minced

2/3 cup rice flour (and some for coating fritters)

2 Tbsp cumin

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

pinch of chili flakes or cayenne

For Tzatziki:

1/2 cup goat yogurt

1/5 cucumber chopped

juice of half of one lemon

1 Tbsp cilantro

To start, preheat the oven to 425 degrees, half the squash, scoop out seeds, and place each half cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake until soft (about 45 minutes), and scoop out flesh. In a large mixing bowl, mix chickpeas, squash, shallot, cumin, cilantro, rice flour, and chile. The mixture keeps well in an airtight container for 2-3 days, so can be prepped in advance.

Spread rice flour on a cutting board, form the squash mixture into balls, and roll until well coated in rice flour.

Place in oven, spray with olive oil, and cook for about 30 minutes or so. I also pan fried a few by melting 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a pan, and placing 4 balls of butternut squash mixture in the pan until crispy on each side.

While baking or pan-frying, mix the tzatziki by putting all ingredients in a blender (again, the magic bullet handles this like a champion).

Like this:

This name sounds ridiculous, I know. We debated both what the name should be and what note it would be for awhile and never really came up with a great name (as evidenced by the above, which while not concise, it is accurate), but did decide that F Major was definitely the note. G Major was the other option, both would work. That led to playing notes on the iphone to double check. What you can do on an iPhone is amazing. Yeesh. For those of you who don’t know me, yes, you are correct, I ere on the side of nerd. For those of you who do know me, you knew that already and are shaking your heads at my nerdiness.

Anyway, I digress. This meal was inspired by my need for color on another grey Seattle day, and by the abundance of absurdly beautiful veggies in my kitchen from Full Circle Farms. It incorporates a mix of veggies, fruit, and whole grains that may sound a little strange, but they work together like….like….well, it’s late and I can’t think of anything specific, so I’ll say it’s like something really delicious, filling, easy, and nutritious. It’s a magical and happy salad, and it will be repeated.

SO. To make you need (and this makes about 6-8 servings):

1 butternut squash, cubed and roasted

1 celery root, diced and roasted

1 bunch rainbow chard, stems chopped and set aside, leaves sauteed

1/2 red onion, chopped

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 apple, chopped

1 cup of millet

1 cup of quinoa

1 cup of black beans

1 tomato, chopped

handful of fresh parsley, chopped

knob of coconut oil

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

For dressing:

1 1/2 Tbsp whole grain mustard

1 Tbsp grapeseed oil

3 Tbsp champagne vinegar

small handful fresh parsley, chopped

To start, slice your squash, scoop out the seeds, and chop. Peel and chop the celery root. Toss both with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread onto baking sheets and roast at 450 until golden brown on outside and cooked through.

To prepare your grains, bring 4 cups of water to a boil with chopped parsley. When boiling, add quinoa and millet, boil for 1 minute and reduce heat and simmer til cooked (about 20 min).

Place onion and garlic in a pan with coconut oil on medium-high heat. When onions browned and softened, add chard leaves along with 5 Tbsp water. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, remove lid, and saute.

Add squash, celery root, grains, greens, onions, and garlic to a large bowl along with tomato, apple, and black beans. Whisk together dressing and pour over salad and stir together. Garnish with avocado, and bask in the warm deliciousness of what you just made. Also, keep away from hyper-focused dog in background. 🙂